Saturday Observations

The City:  As Mike McCarville and others have suggested, the nickname for Oklahoma City should be "The Big Friendly."  I tend to agree.  Oklahoma City is, by far, one of the friendliest, most welcoming communities I have ever experienced.  I do love my home state of Washington, but being adopted by brothers and sisters in Oklahoma has been an immeasurable blessing to me and my family.

The State Government:  Wish I could say that we all got what we wanted, but that just isn't the case.  This legislative session has seen more jockeying for position than the last leg of the Kentucky Derby.  A cursory glance at Republican leadership in both the House and the Senate sees a multitude of men and women desirous of higher office and the type of legislation they have presented only serves to prove my point.  I would propose that men and women running for office right now sign a pledge that they desire no higher office than that which they seek right now - it may cull the herd a bit as it were.

The Federal Government:  The Feds have their fingers in just about every pie now, and the sticky residue is beginning to be felt on the flesh of every American.  Never mind the fact that we have boots on the ground in foreign lands, trying to defend our freedoms...what seems to matter is nothing short of expansion of scope and reach of the federal government.  This is an election year and the cocky majority in Washington is about to get their hands slapped by the American voter.  The sad thing is that like Republican majorities before, they still don't "get it."  But they are about to.

Twitterama:  It's amazing to see how many people are using social networking to air their frustrations, to share concerns and to just let loose.  If you're interested, follow me HERE on Twitter and HERE on Facebook.

Illegal Immigration Laughs:  Arizona passes sweeping illegal immigration regulations and of course, the Obama Administration has criticized it, implying that it may not meet Constitutional muster.  Well, that is yet to be seen but there is an interesting quote in the Washington Post that pretty much says it all, and underscores, in my opinion, why we need it. 

"It's going to change our lives," said Emilio Almodovar, a 13-year-old American citizen from Phoenix. "We can't walk to school any more. We can't be in the streets anymore without the pigs thinking we're illegal immigrants."

"Pigs."  Law enforcement are "pigs."  A throw-back to the 1960's anti-war movement, a 13 year-old kid calls the police "pigs."  Personally, I believe that now is the time for the 14th Amendment to be clarified and the whole concept of birthright citizenship to be challenged.  Parents to children who are born in the United States but who are illegal immigrants are hardly "subject to the jurisdiction thereof."  A good example of this is when Governor Henry sent a Mexican citizen back to Mexico who was supposed to fact the death penalty for crimes here in the United States.

Waiting For the Other Shoe To Drop:  There have been rumors upon rumors that public safety is about to take a major hit in Central Oklahoma, but it appears as though those rumors were far less than substantive.  Which is why it's important to check sources, to ensure the information is reliable and that perhaps someone doesn't have an agenda in spreading said rumors.

I am sure there will be more later on today...keep checking back!

Gorilla